Club Shikon
by Tsuki-no-oni
Summary: complete! as Kagome tries to make the best out of her life away from home, Inuyasha tries his best to survive as leader of a powerful gang in the big city. sometimes, love takes lives...
1. 1

DISCLAIMER: ... ::stares reader down:: that's right, my name's NOT Rumiko. It starts with an 'm' actually, not an 'r'. you're going to have to eventually accept that.

* * *

She opened the door, wincing as it creaked loudly. Just two years ago, hundreds of people had spilled through that door every night, as if they owned the place. Back then; she had been completely in control. No one messed with Club Shikon, or they got kicked out right away.

_And then she had met him..._

_Sighing, she walked across the dusty floor. Her black skirt brushed the ground as she slowly crossed the expansive room. Once, this had been packed with people. Several broken glasses and upturned tables still lay misused on the ground. They had probably been upset during the rush to get out of the room. That was when she had left as well, abandoning the place that she had once called home._

Club Shikon was once a place full of class. Now...all that was left were broken glasses, half-filled bottles of liquor, and several bits of upholstery.

_She sighed again and ran a hand over her abused bar. The wood was faded now, and there were chips and dents in what had once been smooth tabletop. Several tables were overturned entirely, and the occasional chair was snapped in half. _

_Crossing some more space and kicking up even more dust, she swallowed the lump in her throat and stepped onto the dance floor. Her steps echoed loudly in the empty room, but she was already fading back to a day long ago._

He pulled her closer, face buried in her hair. "...I'm sorry. There's no way..."

"What are you saying?" she had asked, looking up into his face.

"I'm saying...you probably won't see me again,"

And then he walked away, leaving her alone on the dance floor. Behind her, the orchestra continued with its haunting melody. 'Why is he doing this?' she wondered. 'He must be pushing me away for a reason,'

It was that reason that had caused her to return. After all this time, she was sure that the space would have been used for something else. It had been surprising that her key even worked. But now, standing in the middle of the floor, she could hear the people again and smell all of the perfumes. If she closed her eyes, she could even hear the orchestra.

_There was no good in putting herself through such emotional pain. He was gone forever, and there was no more that she could do. It. Was. Over._

_Walking to the other side of the room, she was about to turn and leave when something caught her eye. Heart in her throat, she walked over and picked it up. A little girl's red sparkling shoe was sitting on top of the object that she had come looking for. _

Bending down, she freed the silver chain from the shoe and held the necklace up to the light. A smile spread across her face as she was bombarded by memories of what that little necklace had put her through...

* * *

Sorry it's so short. I'm working on another two stories right now, but I wanted to get this idea going. If I'm taking too long to update, give me a shout. Sometimes my mind forgets stories and I need people to tell me they want more.

You know the song, Inuyasha & crew don't belong to me. TT if you'd like to see more that _does_, however, check out my other stories. I try not to disappoint my readers!


	2. 2

DISCLAIMER: ::huggles plushie:: of course I own Inuyasha! Unfortunately, though I have unlimited ear-tweaking powers, I don't have the rights to the anime... O.o yet...

* * *

She grinned as she surveyed the layout of her club. The walls were black and adorned with authentic stained glass windows that she had ordered in from Italy and England's old Cathedrals.

The bar was polished cherry maple, accenting the red velvet upholstery of the chairs and the edges of the circular tables. Several thick shelves were lined with bottles that she had hand-selected, verifying that they were mild enough to prevent anyone from killing themselves in her club.

The dance floor was polished cherry wood as well, making for an easy cleanup. All the other accessories, like chairs and tables, were polished silver and red velvet upholstery. But her favorite place in the club was the stage, where local and famous bands would perform nightly in Club Shikon.

The name had come from an old legend that her grandmother had told her as a child. Growing up, she had seen many pictures of the Shikon Jewel. That was why most of the hanging lights in the club were either large sparkling jewels, or little shards of the same glass. The stained glass windows along the walls glowed, giving the room an eerie sort of medieval feel.

And opening night was tonight...

The door opened behind her and she spun around, grinning.

"Sango, what are you doing here?" she asked curiously. "You know that we're not opening for another few hours."

"Yeah. I came to see if you needed any help, Kag," the singer replied. "And...I wanted to warm up. You know, get prepared and all?"

"Sure," Kagome shrugged. "Do whatever you want. I'm opening the doors. We'll probably have a small crowd tonight."

Sango nodded. "I invited a couple of friends,"

"You paid for half this place. Do whatever it is you want," Kagome replied, shrugging.

"...Kagome," Sango said nervously, shifting from foot to foot. "My friends helped get me the money. Is it okay if they come in free?"

"Sure, but only once," Kagome replied. "We do _need_ profit,"

Sango nodded. She turned quickly, the beads on her dress flashing. It was dark purple and covered in black beads and sequins. A common style of the era, she had paid a bundle of money for it. Kagome wasn't entirely sure where her best friend got her funds, but she wasn't going to muse over it now.

Her staff had arrived only moments ago. All women of high standings, they had been meeting with her for the past month to review policies and make suggestions about her club. It would be the only place in the entire city ran entirely by women, the only place where the drinks were mild and the entertainment was decent, and also the only place that did not allow firearms. Kagome was sure that it would appeal to the working families of the area, the standards repelling the lowlife gangsters that she was so afraid of.

Living on your own in the big city was hard enough, no matter who you were. Being a woman, and a miko at that, was even tougher. But no matter what anyone had told her, Kagome refused to follow the social standards of the city. She lived in her own apartment above a bakery owned by a sweet old women she had known as a child. Her family still lived at their shrine in the country, writing her at least once a week to hear how she was going. With her small fortune, the money left to her by her deceased father and much-loved grandmother, she had decided to become an entrepreneur in her city. She was living a dream.

"Kag-chan?" Sango asked softly. "You zoned out for a minute there."

"Mm? Oh, sorry." Kagome grinned and turned to her best friend. "I can't believe it's already opening night! I'm so excited!"

Sango's grin was slightly less cheery. "You look excited," she commented.

"Really?" Kagome nervously smoothed her plain black dress. It was modestly cut, reaching the tops of her knees. A tasteful amount of beads was scattered across the material. Kagome was unable to afford something as extravagant as the getup Sango was sporting, but didn't want to look shabby on the opening night of her club either. She had been forced to borrow money from her elderly landowner, Kaede. Her first profits went to paying the women back, however.

Kagome looked at the clock again. It was next to the mirrored bar, large enough to be seen across the dance floor and the eating area. Ten minutes until the doors opened.

She had no doubt that their first night would be an incredible success. Rumors about Club Shikon had been spreading almost before the renovations on the building had begun. Par usual, Kagome's club had been a club in its earlier years. Abandoned by its owners, it had decayed for nearly ten years before Kagome acquired the deeds.

The miko had a secret that only Sango knew about. She was a complete sucker for card games, gambling everything she was worth on a game of chance. Kagome had won the deeds and a lot of money just by playing cards for a few months when she had arrived in the city. She was a frequent face in many other clubs simply because of her hopeless gambling addiction.

But now...now, she was accomplishing something. She would be known in the world, people would flock to her. Kagome would be something important, no longer a miko from the countryside. The thoughts made her feel proud and helped with her nervousness.

The only problems that she had faced in setting up her club were bodyguards. She wanted the place to be mostly run by hardworking women. Kagome knew how hard it was to find a job in the city with good honest income. She wanted to help other people like her. But women would do no good as bouncers. Kagome was all too aware of the gangs that ran the streets.

She had heard whispers of a mafia. They had their hands in every business that was still floating on the economy. Kagome had taken great measures to keep from getting involved with them, borrowing money only from people that she was close with. She thought that this would keep her club clean.

When she looked at the clock again, she jumped to see that it was time. She turned and caught sight of her door bouncer, giving him a sharp nod. Kagome and Sango grinned at each other and moved towards the door to greet guests as they entered.

The door opened.

In streamed a line of people. Men, to be more specific. Kagome couldn't place it, but it seemed that they were all uniform in a way. They looked like a singular unit.

Next to Kagome, Sango was grinning sheepishly and giving her friend an apologetic look as Kagome realized what the uniformity meant.

"Sango!" she hissed. "Your friends?"

"Yeah," Sango replied.

"Sango, they look like a gang."

"Well...they are,"

"What?"

"Oh come on Kagome. It's not really that bad. Better to be friends than enemies, like I always say."

"You always...what the hell? Sango, I want to be able to choose my friends and enemies for myself! And right now, I'm thinking that the _mafia_ is my _enemy_!"

"Enchanting. I would hope that we were not, since that could turn out bad for you, Miss Kagome."

Kagome spun on her heel to address the voice that had spoken behind her.

Carmel eyes met melted amber. Kagome's line of sight proceeded from the amber eyes to the silver hair that came with them. And then she registered the neatly tailored suit and the fine material. That was when she knew that she was in trouble.

"Inuyasha! I'm so glad that you could make it. I was just telling Kagome about you. You'll have to excuse her manners; she's from out of town. Kagome doesn't like the idea of a mafia," Sango said cheerily, giving said Inuyasha a friendly embrace.

"The idea is mutual, I assure you. The mafia is unpleasant, but...necessary." Inuyasha ventured. "I assume that you have not yet informed your stunning partner of our financial contributions?"

Kagome paled. "Your financial contributions? Sango!"

"Ah. Well, maybe now is a bad time. I'll be seeing you later, Miss Kagome." Inuyasha said, turning and walking towards the bar.

If looks could have killed, Sango would have been ashes.

Kagome's dreams had come crashing back to reality as soon as she had heard the word 'contributions' leave Inuyasha's mouth. Now, she was angrier than she had ever been before and slightly embarrassed. This was _her_ club, after all. She was supposed to know everything that happened involving it. And just now, it seemed like Kagome was the bottom one on the chain of information.

Exactly a half an hour later, when the stream of people steadied, one smoldering miko and one apologetic chorus dancer turned to face each other.

"What did you want me to do, Kagome? I'm not made of money." Sango explained flatly. "Listen, I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner, but you would have been angry. We'll pay them back and get them out of here as soon as we do, okay?"

"Sango...I'm not angry that you did it. I'm upset that you didn't at least mention it _before_ I met their leader."

Sango smiled slightly. "I get it. You liked Inuyasha, huh?"

Kagome blushed. "What? I never said anything like that!"

"Sure you do. You think he's cute."

"Where the hell is this coming from? Listen, he's part of the _mafia_ Sango. I don't think he's cute. I don't support him, and I don't even want to know his name." Kagome paused. "Okay, he has a nice butt. But there is no other cute part on him!"

Sango smirked. "Liar. Let's go get some seats before the show starts, okay?"

Kagome allowed Sango to pull her towards their little stage. "Well...maybe he has cute ears," she allowed. "But that's it!"

"Kagome, I never knew you could be so outgoing. When you look for men, you look at their ears and their butts. No wonder you're pining after every male you see,"

"Sango!" Kagome whined.

Before her friend could smirk at her some more, however, the lights dimmed and a hush fell over the crowd. The small curtains parted, and out walked...

* * *

yep, this chapter is done. Bet I'm killing you. And since I don't know when I'll update next...the suspense should efficiently wring me a few death threats, I suppose. (cackles). Sorry that this has been so long in coming, concept mapping is a bitch and I'm deeply engrossed in meeting place at the moment. Thought I'd freshen up this idea, though. (smirks) update later, bye!


	3. 3

DISCLAIMER: listen, if I were Rumiko Takahashi (as we've previously established that I'm _not_), would I be writing fanfiction? Would I be in high school, and thus unable to regularly update? ...I think not.

I just want to mention something before I start this chapter. Unlike my other stories, this is going to have exactly three timeframes and fragments of plotline. Mostly, you'll be following Kag's POV in timeframe two. Whenever it seems to be Inu's POV, you'll be in timeframe three, which is set between chapter one and chapter two. You'll understand. And if you don't, just email me and I'll explain it as best as I can.

And now...well, I can't say on with the show because I'm not writing about that. So...back to the story!

* * *

Darkness.

He hadn't been expecting that.

From all his years of experience, he knew that it only took one surprise to end his career. And in his business, a sudden stop in employment could also mean a sudden stop in living.

Inuyasha hated surprises. Even birthday surprises.

So it wasn't unexpected that now he was on edge. He had come expecting the place to be open after all. He had even hoped that Kagome would be there. However, the empty room and the silence made it all-too-obvious that he was alone for the moment.

Inuyasha resisted reaching for his gun. He didn't want to harm Kagome or her friends. This was their club, after all, and he wasn't even supposed to be in it now that they had repaid their debts.

"Inuyasha?"

He spun around, the sound of Kagome's voice comforting. His nerves were on the edge, this would give him time to explain. She would know why he was doing this.

The darkness was unrelenting, and even with his superb eyes he couldn't make out her form. He couldn't even see past his own nose. The only indication to her location that he had was the direction of her voice.

Another surprise.

The lights flashed on with shocking brilliance, blinding him. He was a fool for straining to see in the dark. It was the second in a series of mistakes that could cost him everything, and he knew it.

Blinking and attempting to refocus his eyes, he was at a momentary disadvantage. When male boots connected with his stomach and knees, he fell to the ground. The wind left him in one large gasp, leaving him stunned and unable to deflect the blows.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed. She was somewhere near the bar. "Stop it! INUYASHA!"

The sound of her voice buoyed him, helped him to focus. Inuyasha twisted away from his attackers, using his momentum to flip onto his feet. His eyes adjusted, he observed the situation in the moment that he had.

Kagome was sitting on the bar, her hands above her head. Behind her was a man with a gun, which had probably at one point been put to her head. Closer to Inuyasha were two more men, one that he recognized and one that he couldn't place.

Last, standing near the door to the club was the last face he would ever forget.

_Naraku_.

As soon as his eyes flicked towards the door a series of events was set into motion. The two standing near to him split, the unrecognizable face making a dash for Kagome and the bar. The one behind the bar grabbed Kagome around the waist and put the gun to the side of her head, eyes trained on Inuyasha. And last, the second man near Inuyasha began to crack his knuckles, preparing for a fight.

Inuyasha's attention snapped away from Kagome and locked onto Kouga, watching calmly as he cracked his knuckles one by one.

The second man reached the bar while Kouga reached for his gun.

"Not in the club," Naraku said softly from the door. Kouga glanced at him before simply cracking his knuckles again. He tossed his gun across the floor, allowing it to get caught under a chair.

The two men handling Kagome pulled her away from the bar and towards the stage. Inuyasha knew that there was a backdoor there.

He would not allow them to take Kagome.

Inuyasha snapped, leaping towards Kouga. When he was within range, he began to pummel him with punches and kicks, targeting his weak spots. He and Kouga had fought often; Inuyasha didn't have any guesses about his strength.

Inuyasha made the fatal mistake. He fell for Kouga's feign, punching through air while his opponent ducked down and jabbed him behind one knee. While Inuyasha stumbled, trying to regain his balance, Kouga nailed him in the stomach again.

"INUYASHA!" Kagome shrieked. She hadn't been abducted yet, then. Inuyasha could hear the fear in her voice—he would have to do something about that later. Kagome was a happy creature; she didn't deserve anything that put that tremor in her voice.

Thoughts trained instantly back to the fight, Inuyasha twisted away from Kouga and kicked him in the groin from the ground. While his opponent fell to his knees, Inuyasha raced towards the stage.

"KAGOME!" he yelled, hoping that she was still there.

The curtains rustled, pulling aside. There were sounds of a brief struggle, and then out onto the stage walked...

Back to Kagome's POV in chap 2!

* * *

...Rin Minashijo. She looked stunning, dressed in an outfit of the same cost as Sango's. Kagome marveled momentarily at how everyone else seemed to be able to afford better clothes than her, and then settled back to watch the show.

It was moments later that Inuyasha slid into the seat next to her, collected and watching the stage.

"Congratulations on a wonderful start for your club, Miss Kagome. Unfortunately, as soon as Miss Rin is done onstage, my associates and I must leave. We have...pressing business."

Kagome tried to look impassive. But she knew what was coming. The claim of ownership, the instance that a favor was needed to repay the loan that they had made.

Inuyasha was silent.

Kagome turned to see why, but before she could say anything, Rin began to sing. She was accompanied by piano, her haunting voice weaving the melody in and out of the gentle rolling chords.

_The world is vast,_

_Yet we stand here alone._

_Nothing is calling,_

_No one come to take you home,_

_You're just here...in my arms,_

_Soul's light is shining._

_It flows in a river,_

_Circling and winding._

_You'll never leave,_

_I'll never let go._

_My life would be shattered,_

_You are all that I know._

_Love...is just a word..._

_A game, a game to you,_

_But everything to me._

_I call out your name..._

_You have left...me..._

_Night falls,_

_And I'll stand here alone._

_No useless calling,_

_I can never bring you home,_

_You're gone...gone ahead,_

_Soul's light is shining._

_It flows in a river,_

_Circling and winding._

_You'll wait for me,_

_I'll never let go._

_My life has been shattered,_

_You are all that I know..._

_Love...is just a word..._

_A game..._

The song left tears standing in Kagome's eyes. She had been entranced by the performance. She had known that Rin was good, but Kagome knew now that she had hired the best.

"Thank you," Rin said to her standing ovation. She suddenly seemed very small on the stage, grinning at her success. "Thank you. I thought that I would sing my first song to the love of my life, my Sess."

Kagome's attention was drawn to the piano player.

"Sesshoumaru..." Inuyasha muttered next to her. Kagome knew why—they could have been twins. In fact...

"Are you related?"

"My half brother," Inuyasha said simply. "I thought he was dead. Oh, well."

She turned tear-filled eyes back to Rin, who was still grinning but talking about the club. Kagome couldn't have ever hoped for a better opening night.

* * *

whew. It's almost one...like normal. Gotta stop this, I'm starting to get sickly-ill. Before I forget, yes I wrote that song myself. It's going to be used a lot later, so don't worry about its sentimentalness. Sorry for the abruptness of that chapter, but...just think of Inu's timeframes as flashbacks of sorts. Flashbacks that haven't happened yet. Actually, this entire story will probably seem that way. Never mind, then. I'll update soon, I'm loving the way this is turning out. Should be done in a handful of chapters.

R&R! Tsuki


	4. 4

Hi, I'm back. I've got this whole thing mapped out, it shouldn't be any more than fifteen chapters. There's a series of sequences...you'll see. Most of the flash forwards—scratch that, all—are cliffies. Just assume that things turn out, unless indicated otherwise.

Thank you for the reviews and for being supportive! I'm going to attempt to wrap this up as quickly as I can, no waiting for you and no incredibly long stories for me!

* * *

Kagome was happy. She was relaxed, lounging in a comfortable chair in her home above Kaede's bakery. Still in her pajamas, she had opted to sleep in until noon, deciding to stay awake and work at her club tonight.

Club Shikon was a great success. It attracted all of the people that she wanted it to attract, the only unwelcome guests being Inuyasha and his gang. Kagome was still undecided as to what to do about them. Inuyasha himself was incredibly polite over the whole matter, however. Every night he paid to enter the club just like everyone else. He always spoke with Kagome, even if it was only to say hello. At first she had been afraid that he would ask for favors or remind her of her debt, but a few weeks of his polite and considerate behavior had placed doubts in her mind.

Now, she was hesitant to take the night off for fear of missing him. Inuyasha intrigued her. They usually spoke about her life, the club, or sometimes even the weather. He had not given her an ounce of personal information since he had admitted that Sesshoumaru, her full-time pianist, was his half-brother. Kagome didn't know what his favorite color was, what his favorite food was, or even what sort of drink he liked.

She wanted to know those things. She wanted to know how he made his hair silver—she was sure that it wasn't a natural color. She wanted to know, most of all, why his aura was different from other people. Why did her senses tingle when he was near?

Kagome was lost in thought about this when Old Kaede hobbled up the stairs. She noticed and immediately jumped up, rushing over to her.

"Kaede, you shouldn't be climbing these stairs! You'll fall and hurt yourself,"

"I've lived here for more than seventy years, Kagome. I can climb any damn stairs I please," she growled, sitting down to catch her breath.

Kagome watched her for a moment. "Kaede, what brings you up here? Why didn't you just shout?"

"I didn't want to frighten away our guest, young Kagome." Kaede said cryptically.

"Is it Sango or Rin?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Nay, he does not answer to either of those names,"

"He?" Kagome repeated, her eyes wide. Grabbing a dress and changing quickly, she brushed her fingers through her hair and rushed down the stairs.

Standing in the bakery munching on a powdered doughnut, looking like a small child wearing his father's clothes, was Inuyasha.

"Good morning," Inuyasha said when she rocked back on her heels, recognizing him. "Or, should I say good afternoon. It's nearly noon after all,"

"How did you find me here?"

"You always smell like doughnuts, and this woman makes the best. I decided that only the best would be good enough for you, and stopped here first...in other words, I got lucky."

"You must have great luck, then. What did you want to talk to me about? I was going to be at the club tonight,"

His amber eyes caught hers. "I wanted to talk about the club," he said seriously.

Kagome's heart dropped into her stomach. "Really? Well, then, let's take a walk." She grabbed his elbow before he could protest and steered him out the door, heading towards Club Shikon at a slow pace on the sidewalk.

"I have a feeling that you're expecting me to say something," Inuyasha remarked.

"Only slightly vague," Kagome retorted.

"I'm not going to claim ownership over your club, Miss Kagome. I'm not even going to ask you for anything other than the money we lent Sango. You've had enough time to pay back your other debts. The gang is getting impatient,"

"The gang," she mused. "I've never really met any others besides you. How can I be sure that I'm giving money to the people I'm truly indebted to? When the club opened, I didn't even know that a third party was involved."

Inuyasha stopped walking and turned to face her. "Kagome..." he frowned. "You do not want to meet any of my associates,"

"I will not give you money, Inuyasha, until you prove that you're part of the mafia." There. She had finally gotten up the nerve to say it. Frankly, she was scared out of her mind. If he wasn't who he said he was, he could do absolutely anything to her.

Inuyasha didn't do anything that she expected, however. He didn't laugh at her, didn't assault her, and didn't even make so much as a move towards her. Instead, he twisted his wrist. A gun fell out of its arm holster and into his waiting hand.

"This is the Tetsusaiga," he said simply. "I've had her since I was twelve. This is the reason that I'm alive,"

Kagome stared at the gun. It had 'Tetsusaiga' monogrammed onto its barrel and showed many signs of old age and use. "In a twisted way, that works as proof. I'll look over the fact that everyone has a gun. More importantly, I trust Sango's word. I don't need you pulling me into an alley and displaying your initiation tattoos or anything like that."

Inuyasha simply nodded.

"We expect you to pay back your debt Miss Kagome. I'll see you later tonight,"

Inuyasha turned and walked away.

He grinned, knowing that she would be at the club. It was never hard to find his girl; he never had to look at her friend's places or even other joints. Kagome was a hard worker that stayed close to Club Shikon at all times. He had never even seen her more than ten blocks away from it during the day, excepting the few trips that she made to the country to visit her family.

When he entered the club, he paid like usual. Kagome had offered to let him in free since he was there every night, but Inuyasha refused. He didn't want her to go hungry, and Kagome would do that first if there were debts to pay. It had happened in the past, after all.

She was wearing the green dress that Sango had bought her for her birthday, smiling and leaning over the bar to speak with one of her employees. The bartending-woman was also smiling and nodding as Kagome spoke.

Inuyasha snuck up behind her, catching the eye of the woman she was talking to and indicating for her to be quiet. He wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist and planted a kiss on the back of her exposed neck before she could turn to see who it was—as if there were any doubt.

"Hey babe," she said instead, turning to see him and smiling. "How was work?"

"Boring," Inuyasha admitted.

"Well let's get you dinner and then we can do whatever you want. Rin's got this place covered for the rest of the night, and I have to be back for closing at two to help throw out all the drunken bums,"

"I can help," Inuyasha volunteered. He knew that Kouga had been hanging around late, trying to speak with Kagome. The man put him on edge. Not only was he part of Inuyasha's rival gang, but he was a creep all around. Kagome refused to ban people from her club, however, and insisted that her 'no weapons' policy would make it safe, neutral ground. Inuyasha knew that she couldn't be any more wrong, but didn't want to get into that argument again.

"No way, the last time you tried to help out around here you broke two tables over Mr. Kouga's head and shattered fifteen of my glasses. I can handle this place myself," Kagome grabbed his hand and pulled him behind the bar into the employee's lounge. They usually ate back here, away from the dancing music and people that could overhear their conversations. Inuyasha wasn't a popular man, after all. Anything he said could be used against him.

"I had to run errands for Kaede all this morning or I would have called you. She had deliveries to make all over the town. Sometimes I wish we could hire extra help,"

"Just say the word, I can send someone over." Inuyasha reminded her.

"I don't need Miroku delivering bread to independently living young ladies, Inuyasha," Kagome said with narrowed eyes. "Not to mention the pregnant ones home alone. God only knows what he's capable of."

"I wouldn't send Miroku. I would send Shippou,"

"The kid? Inuyasha, this is serious work for Kaede. I can handle it myself," she said flatly.

His ears drooped. "But you never have any free time, Kagome," he said, in a voice that sounded alarmingly similar to a whine.

Her face softened and she moved closer to him, patting his head like he was a puppy. "Aw, I'm sorry. You know I have to work. The club needs me, and Kaede relies on me now that her hip is out again. But I still love you, baby,"

Inuyasha grinned and closed the distance between them, capturing her lips and playfully fighting her tongue for dominance.

"I love you too," he told her when they parted.

Kagome grinned, getting up. "Then walk me home. You never know what's out on these streets, after all, and I want to take a nap before closing. I was up all night yesterday, as you are aware,"

Inuyasha smirked and took her arm. "Of course I'll walk you home, Kagome. Even though my car is here,"

"I don't need Kaede telling me the facts of life again, Inuyasha. She'll be less suspicious if we walk,"

Chuckling at the look on her face and the mental image he had of the old hag giving said lecture to Kagome, he guided her through the crowd in the club to the fresh night air outside.

"Are you busy all of tomorrow too?" Inuyasha asked as they approached the bakery.

"Only for about three hours. Why, do you have the morning off?"

"I can have it if you do," Inuyasha replied. "I'm the boss, after all. I can decide when my own free time is,"

"I doubt that," Kagome muttered. "I'm the boss, and it feels sometimes like the club runs me instead."

"Well then take the morning off, and we'll go with Miroku and Sango out to Divinchi's."

"Divinchi's? The restaurant that's impossible to get reservations at?"

"Hey, I know the manager. He owes me a few favors." Inuyasha smirked. "It's a perk to dating the leader of the mafia,"

Kagome grinned back. "I'd love to. I'll call Rin and ask if she'll cover for me. I'll have to pay her double," she decided.

Inuyasha leaned down and kissed her goodnight, stopping in front of the bakery door. "Bright and early tomorrow morning, Kagome,"

"Sweet dreams, Inuyasha," she replied with a smile, unlocking the door and stepping inside.

Inuyasha turned and walked away.

* * *

well, that was fun. AND LONG! ::pants:: anyway, I'm going to sleep about an hour and a half early, don't feel so good. Be ready for chapter four really really really soon. R&R!


	5. 5

::sweatdrops:: I'm back! And after my mysteriously long absence, in which school began again and nearly strangled me with my urges to write CS...I'm... ::insert witty sound effect:: UPDATING! (duh-duh-duh-dah!)

So here's CS—and be prepared for angst once you choke through all the fluff. O.O

DISCLAIMER: ::prods plush Inu with one finger:: damn you plushie, why can't I be the creator of an uber-successful anime series broadcasting all over the world and creating thousands of various items of merchandise, corrupting thousands of minds and pulling them away from homework to write Fanfiction? ...why... ::sobs in the corner::

* * *

_Infatuation: a temporary foolish obsession feeling like love but unable to last a great length of time._

* * *

Kagome grumbled under her breath as she scrubbed at a cigarette burn on her beautiful cherry wood bar with a dishrag. She had banned weapons—next went the smoking.

She was so caught up in what she was doing, she didn't hear the front door open. The footsteps were too heavy for one of her woman employees, too deliberate to be Inuyasha or Sesshoumaru. The breathing was too raspy to be either of the silver-haired males, either.

Kagome briefly wondered why her bodyguard was at work early, before she saw the expensive and polished shoes and the black suit. Her eyes traveled up an overly apparent muscular form, pausing to observe the tattoo of a wolf on one worn fist and the letters spelling the name of said species on the knuckles of the other.

This was NOT anyone that she knew.

Kagome eased up on her assault of the bar, trying to keep looking busy and mask her fear. As far as she knew, they were alone in the club. Absolutely anything was possible.

"Miss Hiragushi,"

Even the voice was slightly unpleasant, though it had more of an irritating quality to it than any sort of imposing trait. She caught two hardened eyes in her own and tried not to balk at the coldness she found there.

"Hello," she said softly. "Who are you?"

He stepped closer, until he could lean an elbow on the bar with less than a foot's motion. Kagome found it hard to imagine this male casually lying about her club, however. She actually decided that she would rather not see him lying around her club, if that were possible.

"You can call me Kouga," he said seriously. "I'm here about the club."

"What about it?" Kagome was instantly defensive. If he was one of Inuyasha's 'associates', then he would be leaving shortly. She had managed to scrape up a fourth of the money she owed the mafia, simply by cutting her own personal expenses and taking on work from Keade.

"I want to own it. I hear that you're the one to talk to,"

Anger sparked in her eyes. She had worked that hard to create the place, and some mafia boy thought that he could just waltz in and take it from her? Kagome was starting to like Kouga less and less as their conversation continued.

"It's not accepting new managers," Kagome said darkly.

"Consider that I would pay in full cash. My boss is interested in this site and sees more potential for it than a peaceful step up from a family diner. He knew the previous owner,"

Kagome inhaled sharply. "He's been in the...business for a while then," she stated.

Kouga's eyes flashed. "You could say that. All that you need to know is that he's interested, Miss. My gang is offering to pay you in full for management of your little place here,"

"My answer is no," Kagome said strongly, trying not to let her knees shake too badly. He could just as easily shoot her as he could pay her a couple grand, after all.

Kouga gave her a withering look. "You'll be seeing me around, Miss Hiragushi. You'd make a fine girl if you weren't so independent. How would you like to be my woman?"

"She's not up for grabs, wolf,"

Kagome spun on her heel to see Inuyasha and two other men walking across the dining area. He did not look happy, nor did he so much as glance at her. Instead, his molten amber eyes were fixed on Kouga, who seemed to be sneering back at him.

"Like a mutt would put up much of a fight for her," Kouga shot back.

Inuyasha didn't so much as blink. A twitch of his ears had the men on his right and left in obvious attack positions. One pulled out a gun, but the other held out his left hand and gripped his left wrist with his right hand.

Kagome found this strange, but was too relieved and frightened at the same time to comment.

"I suggest that you leave," Inuyasha said in an amiable tone. "Club Shikon isn't up for grabs,"

"For now," Kouga added, turning quickly enough to make his short ponytail snap behind him. He walked out the front door again, never missing a beat in his clipped heavy step.

Kagome watched him go, looked back at Inuyasha and his two 'associates', and realized that she was wearing work clothes. Her skirt was rolled up into makeshift shorts and her shirt was dirty and only semi-opaque with age. A blush spread up her cheeks, but Inuyasha shook his head before she could apologize.

"You were working and we interrupted you," he said first.

"How did you know he was here?" Kagome asked curiously.

"I actually came to talk to you—once again, I got lucky," Inuyasha gave her a wry grin. "Watch out for Kouga, Kagome. Stay away from him, his gang is powerful."

"You're the top in the city, aren't you?"

"For now," the man on Inuyasha's right remarked. "If that's all, Inu, I'm going to head over to Sango's."

Inuyasha nodded. "We'll meet back later, Miroku."

Miroku, the man who had been holding his arm, had a short black ponytail and violet eyes. His baby face didn't hide the hardness of his body or his soul, lending signs of a rough past.

Inuyasha turned to the remaining man. "Hojo, that will be all for today."

The remaining lackey, brown-haired, brown-eyed, and all-out plain, followed after Miroku. Kagome all but strangled Inuyasha once Hojo was gone, abandoning her task at the bar to fling her arms around him.

"I thought he was gonna kill me!" she exclaimed. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Inuyasha seemed stuck, not knowing what to do. He awkwardly patted her back for a moment before she released him and stepped back into her own personal space, beaming up at him.

"What were you here for?" she asked sweetly, her smile never faltering.

"You," Inuyasha said with a little smirk of his own. "Sango told us you've been working non-stop since our last meeting. I decided that you needed proper nourishment,"

Kagome's eyes narrowed. "YOU decided that I needed proper nourishment? Thoughtful, really. But no thanks—I don't even have half of what I owe you yet. I can't afford dinner right now."

Inuyasha laughed to himself and shook his head, smiling down at her. "Idiot, I wouldn't make you pay,"

Kagome blinked in confusion. "What?"

"I was asking you to go out for dinner with me. It's not like I'm completely lacking in manners,"

"Oh!" Her eyes widened before an embarrassed blush spread across her face. "Then yes, that'd be lovely."

Inuyasha smirked at her and offered his arm, which she stared at. Making the mental connection, she took it. Seconds later Kagome looked down at her clothes and squeaked.

"I can't go out like this!"

Inuyasha almost rolled his eyes. "We'll get you a new dress, then. They owe me a favor anyway,"

Kagome beamed up at him. _What the hell? Why is he being so nice? Is he hoping for something more than money? ...not that he's bad looking, but still. What's going on?_

"Thanks, Inuyasha."

He glanced over at her again and shrugged. "I eat out every night. Might as well have some intelligent company,"

Kagome thought about Miroku and Hojo for a millisecond before letting the compliment lay. Inuyasha seemed like a nice guy so far. One dinner couldn't hurt her very much.

* * *

::falls over, dead:: that took SOOO LONG! As you're well aware, but still...! People keep calling me on the stupid phone and I have homework and all to do...

Be updating more later. Like I said, I was in school and I had the BEST IDEA! And I just had to write CS, but there were hours and hours left of mindless text books, and I was going crazy! So now I have a concept map and a plot line and stuff...and I'll be back after dinner and homework too! I have no idea why I keep abandoning this story...


	6. 6

DISCLAIMER: Of course I own Inu. He's my boy toy. ::rubs cheek on plushie::

Aren't you just...lucky? ::glows:: TWO whole chapters! Maybe more that I'll write today! You never know...! And guess what? The homework of satan is now completed, so I'm just going to write until I pass out from exhaustion! Woot!

* * *

Inuyasha knew that he was late. It was the first night in a long while he hadn't been at the Club before it closed. The only thing keeping Kagome from killing him was...

...her tears?! What the hell?

Upon entering his girlfriend's little apartment, he was immediately assaulted by the salty fragrance of her tears.

"Kagome?!" he exclaimed, hurrying to find her. Was it possible that Naraku and his gang had done something to her again? They were still after the club, but...

"Inuyasha!" she sobbed, flying out of her bedroom and into his arms. Sobbing on his chest, he only saw a dirty beaded dress and smeared makeup. Obviously, something had happened at the Club. If she hadn't bothered changing into comfortable clothes yet, then it had been something traumatizing.

"Ssh," he soothed, speaking into her jasmine-scented hair. "It's okay, it's okay. Ssh...I'm here now, nothing's going to hurt you,"

She sniffled and looked up at him, azure eyes tearstained and face pudgy from spilled tears. "How can you say that, when you don't even know what happened?" she demanded.

Inuyasha was slightly shocked. Then again, she was more upset than he had ever seen her. What could have happened at the club that made her this distraught. "You're right," he told her. "I don't know what happened,"

She caught herself, taking deep breaths to calm her sobs. Wiping at her eyes, she released him and collapsed on her bed, grabbing a box of tissues and dabbing at her face. "I look awful, don't I?" she asked, slightly amused and distressed at the same time.

"Not really," Inuyasha replied, flopping down next to her. "What happened, Kag-chan?"

She took one more deep breath before fixing her stare on the wall behind his head, gaze unfocused and face set in an ironic little smile.

"We opened up like usual," she said in a sing-song sort of voice. "And everything was going okay. Kouga was there almost before we opened, up against the back wall like usual and watching me. Well...I decided around two-ish that I was going home and I told Rin to close up for me.

"Just outside, I was attacked. Kouga and one of his lackeys...Ginta? Anyway, the two of them cornered me outside the club. ...If Miroku and Sango hadn't have been leaving...the look in his eyes..."

She began sobbing again, dropping onto her back and putting her hands over her face again.

"He grabbed my wrist. No one's ever threatened me like...like that before,"

Inuyasha was silently fuming. He would break every one of the wolf's fingers, snap them off one by one. And then he would break the wolf's entire hand. And then his arm, and then his elb...

"Inuyasha?"

He pulled himself out of his thoughts, gaze immediately snapping back to Kagome's. "I'm sorry, Kagome."

"Don't be," she said flippantly. "Where were you all night, anyway?"

Inuyasha's stomach turned into a little ball of lead.

He.

Was.

In.

Deep.

Shit.

"I was...at a meeting," he said not-quite-so-convincingly.

"A meeting," Kagome repeated, eyes narrowed. "Without Miroku? Your _shadow_?"

Inuyasha winced. Bad excuse, stupid brain. "Um, yeah."

She stared at him for a minute before jumping up. "Fine then, don't tell me!" Kagome yelled, slamming her bedroom door in his face when he tried to follow her. Inuyasha listened to her storm down the hall and counted to ten before opening the door and following her.

"Kagome," he called, trying to find her in the dark apartment.

"Go away, Inuyasha. If you're going to keep secrets from me, then you don't need to be here any more,"

Her words stung. There was a lot that she didn't know. Then again, her choosing this particular instance to pitch a fit about was wonderful. Inuyasha had been talking with Kikyo, his ex-girlfriend, and one of Kagome's worst competitors. If he told her the truth...either way, he would end up in trouble. There was no winning solution here.

"Fine! I'll tell you where I was! I really was in a meeting, Kagome! With a female associate of mine!"

She was silent for a moment. "I didn't know you had any,"

"Well, I do."

More silence.

"Liar,"

It was like a smack in the face.

"I'm not lying, Kagome!"

His irate girlfriend appeared, storming out of her living room area. He was standing on the stairs, thinking she had retreated into the bakery.

Mistake.

"I hate it when you lie to me, asshole! If you're going to be insensitive and uncaring, then you can do that someplace else! Maybe I should have listened to Kouga a long time ago!"

She was playing all the right cards. Inuyasha immediately felt angry at the mention of the wolf's name.

"Then maybe you should, bitch! At least if you were with him, you wouldn't be getting attacked while I was talking with Kikyo!"

"Kikyo?!" Kagome hissed. "Your female associate is KIKYO?!"

"Why the hell not?! Why the hell do you care?! You're with Kouga anyway!"

"INSENSITIVE!"

"BITCH!"

"JERK!"

"CRYBABY!"

"MORON!"

"WENCH!"

"LIAR!"

"WHORE!"

Kagome didn't immediately reply. Instead, she stood there fuming at him, shaking with fury. Moments later, her foot had connected with a more sensitive place on the male anatomy and Inuyasha was at the bottom of the steps. Kagome slammed the door at the top and locked it.

"FINE THEN! HAVE DINNER BY YOURSELF TOMORROW, BITCH!"

"FINE! STAY OUT OF MY APARTMENT, ASSHOLE!"

She could handle eating alone. Sure, she hadn't done it in months, but it didn't mean she had forgotten how to cook. She could talk to Sango and Rin and arrange a girl's night out the day after if she didn't like it.

One dinner couldn't hurt her very much.

* * *

Kagome smiled up at Inuyasha, her new sequined and beaded dress sparkling in the streetlights.

"Thanks for a wonderful time," she said warmly. "I haven't had that much fun in a long time,"

"Me neither," he said, cheeks still pink from their giggling and embarrassment at her tweaking his ears in public. "Tomorrow night, same time?"

"That sounds lovely,"

Inuyasha stood there for a moment, looking unsure about something. Kagome pulled a key to the bakery out of her shoe and unlocked the door.

"See you tomorrow," Inuyasha said eventually.

"Good night," Kagome replied brightly. "Sweet dreams, Tough Puppy."

She turned and walked into her apartment. _He was so adorable and polite. One more dinner can't hurt me..._

* * *

woot! I would like to congratulate myself for that there chapter... ::bows::

now, before I start getting all sorts of confused reviews and flames and such, it needs to be obvious to you that they're not going to fight forever. Also, I don't think that Kikyo herself will play much of a part in this, but she's a lovely plot device anyway. ::glows with self-pride:: I love this storyline, can't wait to write the next chapters... XD

R&R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tsuki-chan


	7. 7

* * *

DISCLAIMER: nope, not even gonna say it.

Inu: but you have to! ::cries:: (I don't want the scary girl to own me!)

Tsuki: aww...poor baby... ::huggles Inu::

Inu: ::face turns blue:: okay, okay, she owns me! Let me go—air...!

Tsuki: U.U I don't own him...

Inu: X.X ::gasps for air::

Woot! You get soooooooo many chapters tonight! Look at your author go! You're so incredibly lucky!

* * *

_Lust: the force of attraction between two people, stemming from infatuation and slowly growing as time wears on._

* * *

It was about three weeks after their first dinner date. Inuyasha and Kagome had continued going out for dinner every single night, as they agreed. Other than Inuyasha's shifting from foot to foot at the end of every night, nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Kouga had begun to sit in the corner of the club every night, coldly watching Kagome as she flirted with the half-demon leader of the mafia. She decided to ignore him, however, and so life continued.

Until Saturday night, exactly three weeks after Inuyasha's timid courtship of the attractive owner of the most popular club downtown, he asked her to...close it.

"Club Shikon is neutral grounds," Inuyasha explained while he was begging his girlfriend. "Please, Kagome. We have a very important meeting to hold within my own gang...about you. You have to close it, just for tonight. I'll make it up to you, I promise,"

She sighed, smirking at him. "You can stop begging now, my little tough puppy. I'll close it for you,"

He brightened, his 'puppy look' evaporating immediately. "We're going to be late!"

"You already scheduled the meeting?"

"Of course," he grabbed her wrist and pulled her after him, into the club. "If we hadn't already scheduled it, everyone would have gone their separate ways,"

"How did you know I would agree?" Kagome asked curiously.

He shrugged. "Call it luck."

Inside Club Shikon was Sango, Miroku, Hojo, and about a dozen other people that Kagome didn't recognize. She followed on Inuyasha's heels, sitting down next to him at the only remaining table.

"Inuyasha, you're almost late. What happened?" Miroku asked from his other side. "You must be slipping in your old age,"

"Maybe," Inuyasha replied. "Then again, I didn't get lost on my way here, did I?"

"That's because you've been living here ever since Kagome started showing interest," Sango teased. "You're like a little loyal puppy,"

Kagome giggled, glancing over at Inuyasha as he made the connection with his pet name. Shooting her a reproachful look that promised an interesting conversation later, he glanced at all of the faces there. The playful puppy expression then became one of business conformity.

"Shippou," he said gravely. "You brought it, correct?"

A small boy, maybe only thirteen at the most, approached Inuyasha with a small box. It looked like a ring box to Kagome, though what he could possibly want with a ring box was beyond her.

Inuyasha stared at the box for a moment before opening it.

Inside was a pulsing, glowing jewel. It was about the size of an egg yolk, peach and pink in color and setting off a dazzling array of purple and white lights. Kagome knew it for what it was instantly.

"The Shikon Jewel," she breathed. She could sense it as well as see it, confirming its authenticity.

"Namesake of this building," Inuyasha remarked. "Kagome, did you have a reason for naming the club?"

She shook her head. "Not really. It was always my favorite shrine legend."

"I had Rin do a little digging," Inuyasha explained. "We found out that your family is actually the legal guardian of the Shikon Jewel,"

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, we are."

"So here it is,"

She would have face-faulted if he hadn't been so serious. "W-what?"

"Where could it be safer, Kagome? I can't keep it. None of us can, we get in too much trouble as it is. And it rightfully belongs to you."

She could barely breathe. The actual Shikon Jewel? The object of such warfare and strife in the past? In her care? The care of a miko that had left her shrine to become a bartender? Inuyasha must have knocked a screw loose or something.

"You're not serious," she managed.

"Of course I'm serious. This is what all of our fighting is over, Kagome. With this jewel, Naraku and his gang would dominate the city. They would take over the country, the world. We can't let that happen, we have to contain them. That's what we're fighting for, Kag-chan. You have to protect the Jewel for us."

The Jewel.

The Shikon Jewel.

Kagome was the protector of the Shikon Jewel.

Inuyasha leaned over and slipped it around her neck, the chain delicate and barely noticeable.

Kagome was the protector of the Shikon Jewel.

The Shikon Jewel.

The Jewel.

The.

Shikon.

Jewel.

Kagome passed out.

When she woke, she found herself in Inuyasha's arms, being carried back to her apartment. The Jewel pulsed with a life of its own around her neck, reminding her of her fate-shattering task.

He saw her eyes flutter and his brow creased in concern. "You okay, Kagome?"

"Yeah," she replied, a hand rising to the Jewel. "But how can you...can you trust me like this?"

He would have shrugged if he could have. "What is there not to trust, Kagome? You're a miko, and the most honest person that I've ever known. And I love you,"

Her heart stopped for the second time that night. "W-what?"

"You heard me, idiot."

"You...you love me?"

"Well...yeah. Of course. What is there to hate about you?"

She could have melted right there. Oh, to stay in that moment forever with that lovely warm feeling of belonging, of being wanted.

"That's funny, Inu-chan," she replied with a grin. "I love you too."

He set her on the ground just inside her living room, holding her to let her catch her balance. Crushing her frame to his, he caught her mouth with his.

Her mind stopped frantically trying to figure out what was happening when his tongue met her lips. She parted them, allowing him to tangle his tongue with hers.

Breathlessly, mouth filled with the slightly metallic yet sweet taste of him, she untangled her hands from his hair and blushed up to her roots.

"Um..."

Before she could say another word, he caught her mouth again. With a sort of animalistic abandon, she worked her hands back into his hair and allowed him to push her back against a wall, one of his knees pushed between hers and his hands pulling her closer, crushing her small form to his.

When he released her, she felt like Jell-o. She was practically panting, unable to catch her breath. Her heart was fluttering wildly and her face was flushed, hair in totally disarray. Inuyasha was smirking.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that, Kagome,"

She grinned. "I have a small idea,"

"Dinner?"

"That sounds wonderful. I'll have Inu-chan with a side of Tough Puppy,"

He shot her a reproachful look. "Who would have known that you were so dirty?"

"Just shut up and get over here again. I love you too much to argue right now."

* * *

::melts:: now there was something fun to write! ::looks triumphant::

Three fucking chapters. In one day. And there's still more. I have a wonderful idea for the rest of this fic. I'm so rushing home tomorrow to write more (if I can, if I don't have too much homework)...

Please review. You have no idea how much sleep I sacrificed for this. The least you can do is review...please?


	8. 8

To clear up any confusion...that was past-tense, Kag's POV. I dunno if there was any, but hey.

We're reaching the end of a sequence...but not the whole flashforward thing. I'm thinking that this has a good five chapters more or so, not too much longer. The ending is going to make me cry... T.T but I'm not telling. ::sticks out tongue::

If you didn't notice, all of the flashforwards tie in with the...well, present. Kag's POV ties in with Inu's POV by the last sentence of each section. ...if that makes any sort of sense. Think of it as history repeating itself. O.o (MAJOR hint when you get to the ending....)

And so, back to the story.

* * *

Inuyasha tightened his grip on the flowers, intending to apologize to Kagome. He scuffed one shoe on the back of his pant leg, trying to think of something to say to her.

'Hi Kagome. Sorry I called you a whore. Have some flowers, feel like dinner?'

He resisted the urge to snort at his own brain.

Before he could raise his hand to knock on her apartment door—the same door that had slammed in his face days before—it opened of its own accord.

Azure eyes met amber, and suddenly the door was back in place.

"Kagome!" he exclaimed, shocked at being locked out again.

"Go away, asshole. I told you that you weren't welcome here any more,"

He rolled his eyes. "Kagome, look. I'm sorry. Please, just let m—"

The door flew open. She was dressed to go to the club, he was lucky he had caught her. Allowing himself to look over the dress while she fumed at him, he figured out which one it was.

It was the dress she had worn on their first date, the one that he had helped her choose. Still just as stunning as it had been when it was new, a little more ragged from wear, it was the same dress for sure.

"Come inside," Kagome said softly, stepping aside and allowing him in.

"Flowers," Inuyasha told her, handing them to her when she turned around. "Sorry. I didn't mean to say it,"

"I didn't mean a lot of that either. But...were you really meeting with Kikyo? When you know...that she's after the Jewel, and the club?"

Inuyasha winced. "I still don't think she's capable, Kagome. I grew up with her, went to school with her."

Kagome's eyes narrowed. "Fine, then. Why are you here, Inuyasha? Anyone that cared about me would stay away from someone who wanted to kill me. So go on, talk. And don't let the door hit you on the way out,"

She turned towards the back room, fully intending to leave him standing there like an idiot once again. Before she could, Inuyasha darted in front of the doorway. Kagome didn't say anything, but her lips pressed together in one thin, angry line.

"I had to talk to her, Kagome. I told her to stay away from you and the Jewel. I told her that the next time she attacked you we weren't going to hesitate."

Kagome maintained her angry countenance for about two minutes, just staring up at him. And then she crumbled, expression melting to one of apology and regret. "You...you did?" she said, eyes filling with tears.

"Well...yeah." Inuyasha double-took as he caught the scent of her tears. "Kagome! Kagome, don't cry! I was being stupid, I should have told you straight out. You were right, no more secrets."

She sniffled for a moment before gasping. "Oh my god! I was supposed to be at the club fifteen minutes ago! I—er, um..."

"You what?" Inuyasha asked, slightly amused.

"I told Kouga that I would meet him there."

"WHAT?!"

Inuyasha, about a half hour later, was still sitting in a corner in Club Shikon. His eyes were trained to the back of Miroku's head while the monk chatted with Sango, trying to bore a hole through his skull.

Immediately behind him, Kagome—HIS Kagome—was laughing and talking politely with Kouga, the wolf.

Kouga that had assisted in her abduction months before.

Kouga that had nearly torn them apart once already.

Kouga that was stalking her home after closing.

That had made them fight three nights before.

That had made her cry.

Inuyasha ground his teeth together, trying to ignore her as she giggled. What the hell was funny? Just find out what he wanted and move on in life. Kagome was having a great old time entertaining the wolf, laughing at his jokes and flattering his typical black suit.

Inuyasha began to pick at his claws in frustration.

"Really, now, Kouga...this is lovely, but is there a reason you wanted to take me...here? To my own club?"

"I had a feeling that you had never experienced everything first-hand before, Lady Kagome."

She giggled, and this time Inuyasha caught the hint of nervousness in her voice. So she was doing it because she was afraid what Kouga would do if she didn't show or refused. Well...that was almost forgivable.

"Thoughtful, Kouga, but Sango and I ran everything for a test on opening night. Anyway, why did you want to meet with me? _Only_ me?"

Kouga hesitated. In fact, he was silent for so long that Inuyasha wasn't sure why Kagome hadn't spoken yet.

And then he got a nice whiff of chloroform from their direction.

Spinning around, hardly able to believe it, Inu visually confirmed that both Kagome and Kouga were gone. Even Kagome's little purse was missing. He had cleaned up after himself.

Inuyasha grabbed Miroku's shoulder and hauled him in the direction of the door, not bothering with an explanation. He would know what was going on after they got in the car.

They were quick enough to see Kouga's car pulling away from the parking lot. Without any form of hesitation or exchange of words, the two sped after them.

One near-death, high-speed chase later, they were walking up to a large mansion. The city was a long while behind them, probably about ten minutes. Miroku and Inuyasha exchanged glances before following one cumbersome figure towards the house.

Demon vision allowed him to see Kouga and Kagome long before Miroku could. A low growl rumbled in his throat, seeing him lower his head as if he were going to kiss her. She was asleep thanks to the chloroform, but it was still irritating Inuyasha. Kagome was HIS, after all.

It didn't take Kouga very long to catch sight of them. Who could have missed Miroku and Inuyasha anyway, barging into a mansion in tailored suits, silver hair flying and wind tunnel ready?

"Mutt," Kouga growled.

"Runt," Inu shot back. "Let go of Kagome,"

"She has something that belongs to my boss, mutt. Get out of here,"

"Like hell," Inuyasha growled, exposing fangs. "I came for Kagome and the Jewel, and I'm not leaving without both of them."

Kouga was silent for a moment.

He pulled his gun out and Inuyasha had the Tetsusaiga ready in an instant. Kouga wasted no time in pointing his own weapon at Kagome's head.

"Leave, mutt. I won't hesitate. This little bitch has given us enough trouble as it is."

"Don't you dare hurt Kagome," Miroku said, tone low. "Inuyasha will kill you before you take a step away, Kouga."

"Do you think I don't know that?!" Kouga snapped, irritated. "Go away, Inuyasha. Leave. You have a minute before I shoot her. I had better hear you making tire tracks on my driveway,"

Inuyasha was caught.

He knew it, too.

Kagome...she couldn't get hurt. Not because of him. He would kill himself before he allowed harm to find her.

Kouga was unwittingly in an unattackable position. If Inuyasha shot the gun out of his hands, it would automatically trigger. He was up against a corner, preventing them from attacking from a different angle. If Miroku used the wind tunnel, Kagome would be sucked up as well.

The only thing to do was...bluff.

Inuyasha put the Tetsusaiga in his belt and walked away, watching Kouga the entire time. What sort of a fool had he been, to go charging into enemy territory like this? He would be lucky if all three of them got out alive.

Before he got to the door, Kagome's eyes snapped open. She looked up at Kouga, the gun, and then Inuyasha.

Kouga thought that she was unconscious. So when she pulled herself out of his grasp, turning around to head for Inuyasha, he did what anyone would have done in his position.

The sound was so...small. Inuyasha had always heard gunshots clearer than the rest of his gang. But this one...this one seemed dull. Like he was hearing with human senses.

Time slowed.

Kagome fell forward, landing on her knees. By the time Inuyasha got to her, her back was drenched in blood. Kouga was reloading his gun, giving Inuyasha no choice but to pick her up and carry her out to his car.

Kagome was shaking by the time they got there, her fingers icy cold and her eyes clenched shut.

The bullet had missed her heart, but barely. The wound was just between her spine and her shoulder blade, having missed both by enough to cause nothing but slight muscle damage and a scar. Inuyasha couldn't stop thinking that she was going to die, couldn't get over that she wasn't fatally wounded.

Three hours later had them in the city hospital, Kagome much recovered and clad in a hospital gown.

Inuyasha was pacing while Sango and Rin talked happily with her, asking her what had happened and if she remembered anything that Kouga had done. Kagome eventually told them that she didn't remember anything and she had a headache, making them leave.

"Inuyasha," she said. He glanced over at her, feeling more guilt than he would ever be able to handle. Kagome had taken a _bullet_ for him—_because_ of him. Inuyasha would never be able to get over that.

"Kagome, I'm so sorry."

She giggled. "You're still my Little Tough Puppy, aren't you? Get over here,"

He complied, feeling like a child being told to sit. Inuyasha couldn't possibly argue with Kagome, couldn't ever contradict her.

"It was my fault anyway," she said softly.

Scratch that, negative answer.

"Not at all! If I—my gang—Kouga was after—WE gave you the Jewel—"

"Ssh," she said, catching his hand in hers. "Inuyasha. It's not like either of us knew that Kouga was going to actually shoot. I'm just thankful that he missed my head. Somehow I don't think a bullet in there would agree with me very well,"

He gave her a worried look, wiping the wry smile off her face.

"But it really was my fault," Inuyasha replied.

"Oh, just shut up." Kagome rolled her eyes. Inuyasha jumped to his feet, pacing again while he rambled.

"All of my life the people that get close to me have been killed, Kagome. I don't want that to happen to you! You have to go...go somewhere! Anywhere! But I won't be able to stand it if you're hurt,"

"Inuyasha," she warned.

"I would kill myself if you asked me to, I love you so much! But taking my own life would be better than watching yours be destroyed and slowly taking mine along with it,"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Inuyasha, you're wonderfully melodramatic. Come here so I can beat you over the head with something heavy,"

"I need to get beaten over the head, Kagome. I should have been thinking."

"Inuyasha! It. Wasn't. Your. Fault."

"But if we hadn't argued—that was my fault! If we hadn't argued, then you wouldn't have gone with him in the first place..."

"I was being stupid, Inuyasha. I shouldn't have agreed,"

His eyes met hers and he stopped pacing. "But Kagome," he said gravely, "You never would have agreed if I hadn't been speaking with Kikyo,"

She hesitated before she answered. Inuyasha wondered if he had stuck a nerve or won the fight. But instead she just patted the space on the bed next to her.

She said with a sigh, "Just shut up and get over here again. I love you too much to argue right now."

* * *

::dies:: so...horribly...long! But needed. Very needed.

Next few chapters will find you at the ending, my sweets. Sorry.

And if you think things are unresolved now...I'm not gonna spoil it, no way! XD

Anyway, review review review! Once again, there is so much homework to be done...! So...much...review...before...it...kills...me...

Clikety-clickety-clickuta-button!


	9. 9

DISCLAIMER: ::hums Golden Sun music:: hmm? No, I don't own Inuyasha, I own...GOLDEN SUN! mwahahahahahahaha! Both versions of the game! Woot!

Ah. And so here we have the Kikyo plot. Have fun with it, because I know that I'm going to hate it with a passion...

* * *

She knew who Kikyo was, of course. She had just never expected to hear her competitor's name used in the same sentence as her boyfriend's.

Kagome blinked, staring at Sango. "Come again?"

"I said, Inuyasha isn't going to be here today. He's over at Kikyo's."

"Kikyo's. Why?" Kagome asked, irritated that she had to hear this from her best friend.

Sango shrugged. "He's known her forever. They used to be a couple, but..."

"But what?"

"She did some things, betrayed a couple of people. I can't tell you the full extent of it, but she isn't to be trusted with gang affairs."

Kagome was at a loss for words. Sure, she knew that Kikyo existed. She ran the Miasma with an iron fist, her alternately pro-gun, pro-smoking, and anti-family club the hangout for all of the cutthroats and scum of the city. Kikyo probably had as many patrons as Kagome, though of a distinctly different nature.

But that she had been dating Inuyasha? That they had a history together? Once again, the conclusion was there that he would have to get weapons from _somewhere_, but the Miasma was hardly a place for an average conversation.

Kagome pondered a little bit more, before resorting to chewing on her bottom lip and staring at the floor while she pondered.

She was going to reply to Sango when a couple on the dance floor caught her eye.

Of course.

He would never stay in the Miasma for long, so why not bring the girl to a place that he trusted? Did he really think that Kagome didn't see them? She doubted it. He was either doing it to irritate her or to keep himself within her sight, so that there would be no fingers pointed later.

Kagome was slightly proud and hurt at the same time. It was wise to bring Kikyo into her club, sure, but she was afraid of her comments as a fellow landowner and more than a little intimidated by the way that the pale girl was looking around her club.

Kagome grabbed Sango by the arm and dragged her into the employee's lounge.

"Sango," she said patiently, pacing back and forth and not looking at her friend. "As another girl, most likely with a fair amount of romantic experience in the past...WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO TO KICK HER OUT OF MY CLUB?"

Sango shrugged. "Why should I know? Hire a hit man,"

Kagome shook her head almost violently. "No way! I'm barely paying bills and debts as it is,"

Catching the desperate look on her face, Sango stood and grabbed Kagome's arms. She looked her friend level in the eye. "Kagome. Breathe. She's not going to do anything. They're completely through."

"But how do you know, Sango?"

Sango glared. Kagome's mouth snapped shut and she stared at her in slight horror. Sango had been known to slap a few people around in the past, after all. The young club owner didn't think that she could handle physical abuse on top of all the mental stress she was putting herself under.

But her statement was less than harmful. In fact, Kagome wasn't expecting it at all. The trust and sincerity in Sango's voice filled her with such peace that she would be thanking her friend hours afterwards. No other sentence could have righted every wrong in the world so easily.

"Kagome, Inuyasha loves you."

* * *

Kagome was released from the hospital after a few days, spending time to herself in her little apartment. Sango ran the club temporarily and dropped by for a visit whenever she could, always a breath of fresh air even when the situation was tense. Inuyasha was living in Kagome's apartment, opting to let Miroku run the gang for a short while during his 'vacation'.

A week after Kagome's return to work found her sipping coffee in a small main street café, basking in the sunlight that she had not sat in for weeks. Running a nightclub put somewhat of a stopper on the hours that she spent in the sunlight.

She was feeling less than her usual self, having been violently ill that morning only to be rescued by Sango.

"You're dying in this apartment. You need fresh air and sunlight, Kag-chan. You're coming with me for a coffee and you're not protesting."

Yes, Sango was a total lifesaver. Leaving the still-sleeping Inuyasha safely in her apartment, Kagome snuck out with Sango. Feeling like Psyche abandoning Eros, she guiltily sipped at the common drink.

"So how have you and Miroku been?" Kagome asked politely.

Sango shrugged. "Like usual. The real question here is, how have you and _Inuyasha_ been? Been getting it on, that is,"

"Sango!" A blush spread across Kagome's face. "You're not supposed to ask about things like that! They're...personal,"

Sango chuckled. "Oh ho? Well, someone's not offering up any details about Inu so easily, I see. Whatever, Kagome, I don't really need to know. Just wondering,"

Kagome sipped at her coffee some more.

"...Wondering when I would be Godmother, that is,"

Kagome sputtered into her coffee, choking slightly. "Come again?"

"Oh, you don't seriously believe that I accepted that oh-so-obvious overlook of my question, do you?"

Kagome just was not used to this girly openness. She hadn't been missing out on any of it, but she just wasn't ready for it after weeks alone in a small apartment with her Inuyasha. There was really nothing that she could say to Sango, however, except the occasional half-formed word amongst her sputtering.

Sango smiled at her, shaking her head at Kagome's usual incorruptibility. She took another sip of her coffee and said, "Whatever.

"Kagome, Inuyasha loves you."

* * *

Kagome was still feeling at peace when she walked out of the employee lounge. She was feeling peaceful up until the point that she caught sight of HER Inuyasha and _Kikyo_ in a passionate embrace, however.

Then the peace sort of ripped in half and turned into blind rage.

"I can't believe you!" she exclaimed, storming over to them.

Inuyasha looked like a deer in the headlights. He practically was, after all, and Kagome was just itching to floor it and end his pathetic existence.

"Kagome!" he exclaimed stupidly, blinking.

"In my own club, no less! GET OUT!" she yelled.

Heads were starting to turn now, people were muttering. Kagome didn't care about any of them, didn't spare a thought for the fact that she was attracting a crowd.

"Kagome, I didn't—we—"

"_GET OUT_!"

She punctuated this with a furious stomp of her foot, before turning and leaving Inuyasha to gape after her.

But what could she do?

* * *

WOOOOOOOOT! Guess what? The next chapter is the last chapter!

I'M SO EXCITED, I CAN'T SIT STILL! I'M GONNA SACRIFICE MY SLEEPING TIME TO BRING YOU THE LAST CHAPTER! WHOO-HOO!

And then, of course, you'll need an epilogue. Don't worry.

Excerpt of next chapter:

"_And now, I give you the destruction of the impure race, the select few that challenge their elders and rise up against authority. At the same time, we christen Club Shikon in blood, lifting the weapons ban and claiming it as our own,"_

and who's speaking? Nobody knows! (Except me. I know everything that happens from here on out. Aren't I lucky?)

REVIEW!!!!! THIS MAY BE ONE OF YOUR LAST CHANCES!

v


	10. 10

So here I am, it's late at night on a Sunday, and I'm finishing CS! Woot! I'm SO HAPPY! It's over...soon. This will be the third fanfic outside of one-shots that I've officially completed, right? REVIEW, MONKIES! I KNOW THAT YOU'RE READING THIS! REVIEEEWWW!

DISCLAIMER: although your author has been known to own several males, Inuyasha is not one of them. She can name a few that have been indebted to her in the past, but none can quite fit the hanyou description.

* * *

_True Love: stemming from infatuation and lust, True Love is a complimenting of the attributes, a completion of a puzzle, and the finding of a soul mate._

* * *

Kagome was humming to herself while she read a recent romance novel, outcome of her coffee date with Sango. She was cheerier than she had really been in months all on her own, filled with a sense of purpose and belonging. Nothing could go wrong, nothing could bring her down, nothing could...

_Thump, thump, thump, BOOM_!

Kagome rushed down the stairs, book forgotten behind her. If Keade had fallen again, she could be—

"Inuyasha!"

Rushing to his side, all conscious trains of thought forgotten; she fell to her knees and tried to discern if he was dead.

No, not dead. He was breathing. That was good.

One of his hanyou ears was drooping slightly, the other inflicted with a nasty cut. He seemed to be bleeding somewhere else, the hot sticky fluid sticking to her hands and staining her pajamas.

"Inuyasha!" she exclaimed again, trying to flip him onto his back to see what had happened.

"Damn!" he hissed, wincing as she pushed at him. "Let go! That hurts!"

"I know it hurts, I just have to see why!"

"I know why, Kagome, stop pushing me!"

She withdrew her hands and stared at him, waiting for an answer. "Well?"

"I got beat up, okay? No weapons, knives, guns...just fists,"

"You got beat up," Kagome repeated, not believing it.

Inuyasha nodded in a not-so-convincing way. He pulled himself together and sat up, pulling her into a tight embrace. "I was ambushed," he explained. "And all that I could think about was you, what would happen if I—"

"Don't talk like that, you're scaring me," Kagome said seriously, looking up into his eyes. "Inuyasha, stop. Come upstairs and we'll clean you up. You need some sleep and you need some quiet."

"What I need is you, Kagome, but that can wait. All of it can wait."

"Why?"

"Naraku's going to take the Jewel again. He knows that you have it, and he's fully prepared to attack us,"

"So we'll stay at the club. No big deal, Inuyasha. It's a gun-free joint."

He gave her a flat look. "Believe what you will, Kagome, but there are at least fifty guns fully loaded in Club Shikon at every given moment,"

Kagome sighed and tugged at a lock of her own hair, not knowing what to say. "Are you sure?" she asked.

Inuyasha nodded.

"Well, the club is still the safest place anyway. No one would dare to start a firefight in there."

Kagome didn't quite believe it even when she said it herself.

* * *

Kagome was fuming, sitting in her apartment and looking out the window. How dare he do this to her? Sure, it had been an entire day since she had stormed out of her own club and left him standing on the dance floor with his beloved Kikyo, but that hadn't been time enough for her to loose any of the anger she was harboring.

She was so preoccupied with her fuming that she would have missed the hit man if he hadn't pulled the gun out of his jacket at that exact moment.

Kagome was on her feet and down the stairs faster than she had ever been in her life. Minutes found her at Club Shikon, standing in the employee lounge and chugging down a bottle of vodka.

Someone was trying to kill her.

Who could possibly want her dead?

Inuyasha, for one. She had yelled at him the day before, and he WAS the leader of a powerful gang, after all.

Kikyo for another, definitely. Better to eliminate the competition than worm your way around it.

Kagome resisted the urge to cry.

She was still on brink-hysteria when a certain silver-haired, puppy-eared male head made itself known in her employee lounge gone sanctuary.

"Kagome," he said apologetically. "I didn't mean for...You didn't see the entire thing yesterday, you don't understand what happened."

Kagome glared. "Oh really? I was almost killed just now, Inuyasha. I think I understand _exactly_ what happened."

His amber eyes widened in shock. Inuyasha was silent for a moment, deep in thought. "Killed, Kagome?"

"I have no idea who could have hired someone to SHOOT me, of course," she replied dryly.

Inuyasha sat down next to her, still in thought. "Kagome, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"No kidding,"

"I shouldn't have dragged you into any of this mess..."

"Mm, you don't say,"

"Let me make it up to you?"

"Not a chance, looser."

Inuyasha sighed. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Kagome. I love you, with my entire heart, but..."

I love you, but... 

The words stung. She hated to admit it, but the words stung.

Kagome was on her feet in an instant, once again.

He loved her, but he obviously loved Kikyo more. There was no way that she would be able to put up with it, continue living the way that she was. She would have to give up everything just to regain her own sanity and order again. There was no way out of it; she would be packing her bags later that night. But she hated to leave Inuyasha, when he seemed so sincere and filled to the brim with regret...

"...at least, would you come dance with me? Just once. Forget that everything's so fucked up for right now, Kagome."

The next five minutes found her on the dance floor.

It was perfect in his arms, as it always had been. Kagome was content to just sway back and forth in the protective embrace; the embrace that she wished was only for her.

The entire experience was nirvana filled with regrets.

She would just have to leave. There was no getting out of it, no turning back. She couldn't live in a town with people out for her head and her rival running around with HER boy. Today was the day that she was going to have to let her Tough Puppy go.

He pulled her closer, face buried in her hair, as if he knew what she was thinking. "...I'm sorry. There's no way..."

"What are you saying?" she had asked, looking up into his face in confusion.

"I'm saying...you probably won't see me again,"

And then he walked away, leaving her alone on the dance floor. Behind her, the orchestra continued with its haunting melody. _Why is he doing this, instead of me?_ She wondered. _He must be pushing me away for a reason of his own._

Minutes found her in the employee lounge, muttering a less-than cheerful hello to Sango.

"Whoa, are you okay?" Sango asked, double-taking.

"Yeah, I'm just fine."

Kagome didn't quite believe it even when she said it herself.

* * *

Inuyasha wasn't at the club yet.

Just to be safe, they had gone separate ways to get there. As two different targets, there was a better chance of one arriving at their final destination than both of them together.

Kagome had arrived with time to spare, sitting at a table and watching the dancers with jaded eyes. She couldn't wait for Inuyasha to get there, wouldn't be able to handle waiting much longer.

The doors flew open with a bang, making her jump and her attention snap to the figures silhouetted there.

Her heart caught in her throat.

_Inuyasha_.

He was being held between two men, Naraku leading the way into the club before them. The rival leader pushed a pathway through the frightened people until he reached the stage.

Inuyasha was struggling to get free, trying to kick and hit the two men carrying him. Kagome recognized one immediately—

Kouga.

Unable to take her eyes off him, she watched as Naraku and his little parade arranged themselves on her stage.

"And now, I give you the destruction of the impure race, the select few that challenge their elders and rise up against authority. At the same time, we christen Club Shikon in blood, lifting the weapons ban and claiming it as our own,"

Naraku's voice was grating on her nerves, his words filling her heart with lead. What did he mean, destruction? What was going to happen to Inuyasha?

The flash of a silver gun brought her to her senses. People began to scream; the crowd rose as one and moved towards the door. They were pushing her away from Inuyasha, away from Naraku.

In effect, they were unintentionally saving her.

Kagome was almost to the door when the screaming seemed to pause. It was a pregnant pause, like a moment frozen in time—a moment in time that was never supposed to happen.

A moment punctuated by a single, vicious gunshot.

And after that the screaming returned like a wave upon her senses, making her mind blank and unable to register what had happened there. Without her knowing, some random flailing hand caught on the thin chain around her neck.

The chain and its burden were the cause of the events of the day, the reason for the screaming, and the reason for the gunshot that was never supposed to happen.

And without so much as an audible noise, the chain snapped, clattering to the ground to fall prey to the wear of time and the elaborations of a forgetful memory.

She was blinded by sunlight, and in that moment, sunlight was all that she knew.

* * *

so...review. Yes. Review, please. I so did what it is that you think I did. Just wait for the epilogue. You're gonna hate me forever. Maybe. I dunno, review and I'll feed you the rest.


	11. 11

Here it is... ::sniffles:: the ending. May be worse than the last chapter, I dunno. Tell me. T.T (oh, you guys--you wonderful, wonderful reviewers--I was crying too, don't worry. and yes, i so did what you think that I did.)

Hope you enjoyed, because I know that I did. I'm very proud of this ficlet.

DISCLAIMER: nope, don't own him. You don't even need to ask any more. Just give up hope, man. You're not going to find Rumiko on a Fanfiction website. Deal.

* * *

_...She was pulled out of her memories by a small voice, so familiar that it could have been her own. But she knew who that voice belonged to, and had known the owner before it could even speak._

_Grey velvet hanyou ears twitched in confusion as wide green eyes took in their surroundings. _

_"Mamma? Where are we? This place smells icky,"_

_"We're in Club Shikon, baby," she said softly, a regretful smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Kneeling, she held the necklace up to the child's eyes. "Do you know what this is?"_

_"No," _

_"It's my birthday present to you, baby. Keep it safe all the time. When I was younger, your daddy gave it to me,"_

_The green eyes widened. "Daddy? Daddy was here? But...this place feels so...empty, mamma."_

_"I know, sweetie. Just hang on for a few more moments. There's only one thing that I want to see,"_

_She crossed the dance floor, drawing closer to the stage. It had been the beginning and ending of all things for her, the start of her relationship and ironically the ending. She had to know, had to see it for herself one last time..._

_But of course, they would have cleared away the body. She had flown so fast from that place, though...not pausing except to pay the landlady in full for her apartment. Time had found her in her country home, far away from the horrors of Club Shikon and the person that she feared was still there._

_But there was nothing, just the clean and smooth wooden strips of the floor. Not even a stain to mark his passing._

_But somehow she didn't need anything. Just being in that place filled her with memories that she had never forgotten. Drawing her curious child into her arms, she closed her eyes and rocked back and forth. _

Night falls,

And I'll stand here alone.

No useless calling,

I can never bring you home,

You're gone...gone ahead,

Soul's light is shining.

It flows in a river,

Circling and winding.

You'll wait for me,

I'll never let go.

My life has been shattered,

You are all that I know...

_Her song died out, time stealing the music from her memory as easily as it had taken so many other things._

_The hanyou child gave her a perplexed look, ears drooping. "Mamma, I really don't like this place. Can we go home now?"_

_She smiled again, little girl drawn close. "Of course, honey. This isn't the sort of place for you, ever."_

* * *

END!

So what did everyone think? I'm so sad...

Give me feedback, comment on my total lacking of creative ability! Come on, you know you wanna click the button!

But before you do, read a clip from my next ficlet,

Hanyou Human Relations:

_A female couldn't do that. No creature on earth would be able to give his life order other than himself. And Inuyasha craved order, because if he didn't have it, he started to produce things like chocolate-covered ramen sticks._

_A female wouldn't be able to change a thing. That was the truth of the matter._

_Inuyasha paused as he watched Sango smack Miroku across the face. He looked down at his watch, and then back up at Sango._

_He pulled a battered notepad out of his pocket._

_Yesterday. 9:43, Sango smacks Miroku's left cheek._

_Inuyasha looked up at Sango, and then at Miroku, and then at his watch._

_Female punctuation was uncanny._

So go and read it. It's a little bit of humor, should be up pretty soon. Not gonna be too long.

Love ya all lots, review review review!

Tsuki


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